Spain clampdown:
WHO says Europe is new virus epicentre
PARIS: France pressed on with local elections yesterday despite having closed bars and restaurants, as more nations imposed tight restrictions to try and contain the coronavirus that has infected more than 150,000 around the world.
Following Italy’s move last week, Spain on Saturday imposed a neartotal nationwide lockdown, banning people from leaving home except to go to work, get medical care or buy food.
The Covid-19 virus has so far claimed 196 lives in Spain, making it the worst-hit European country after Italy. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife is among those infected.
France, meanwhile, ordered the closure of restaurants, bars, cinemas and nightclubs, but said food shops, pharmacies and banks would remain open, while voting began for local elections.
In a sign of growing alarm, the US extended a travel ban on European nations to the United Kingdom and Ireland, starting midnight on Monday.
President Donald Trump declared an emergency and announced a US$50 billion (1.5 trillion baht) package, with similar measures being taken by Austria and Canada.
The restrictions threw airports across the US into disarray, with incoming travellers forced to wait hours for medical screenings.
The number of Covid-19 cases worldwide has gone past 156,000 worldwide with more than 5,800 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
A week that saw schools and businesses shut down indefinitely, millions of travellers barred from crossing borders, celebrities and politicians infected and the whole of Italy locked down ended with a flurry of government announcements.
Australia yesterday announced all arrivals in the country will face mandatory 14-day self-isolation, starting at midnight.
“We are going to have to get used to some changes in the way we live our lives,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
European nations ramped up border controls, while Chile has quarantined more than 1,300 people aboard two cruise ships after an elderly Briton aboard one of them tested positive for the coronavirus.
Squares and streets from Milan to Madrid were deserted on Saturday as government calls to stay at home were heeded by most while some Italians took to singing to each other from their windows to beat the isolation.
The country that saw the biggest increase over the last 24 hours was Italy, which recorded 175 deaths, while Iran had 97 and Spain 63.
The World Health Organization confirmed Europe as the new epicentre of the pandemic after a dramatic slump in domestic cases in China, where the virus first emerged.
The human cost is rapidly being matched by the economic cost — financial markets endured a rollercoaster ride all week with spectacular losses triggered by fears of a global recession followed by huge gains after government spending pledges.
Meanwhile, tech giant Apple has closed all of its stores outside China until March 27 while British Airways became the latest global firm to hint at drastic action to come, with CEO Alex Cruz telling staff to expect job losses.
Airlines have cancelled thousands of flights worldwide and some airports have shut terminals.
As economies reel and finance experts mull the impact, governments are also facing public health dilemmas — whether to try to stamp out the disease entirely with drastic restrictions or try to manage its spread.
British officials have argued for trying to flatten the curve — managing the outbreak to push the peak of the crisis to summer when hospitals will be able to cope better.